Welcome to 'Hanging with Jay'. This series is designed to introduce you to some of the experts at Artists Frame Service who hang (OK work) with Jay, our owner, founder and framing guru, every day. Through 'Hanging with Jay' we hope to share with you the cutting edge and just plain fun things going on around Artists Frame Service. We believe Framing Should be Fun! Visit us to see for yourself.
HANGING WITH JAY - IN ITALY
Haute Couture or Holy Cow? Bling or Blinding?
Did you know that most picture frames are designed in Italy and Spain? Yes! In fact, there is an entire town in Italy dedicated to picture frame manufacturing. As you drive down the road lined with cypress trees and grape vines you will see manufacturer after manufacturer all lined up in a row. Most of them were once furniture companies that switched over to frame moulding. Most of them are family run operations. They are all renown for their old world craftsmanship and artistic sensibilities.
One of the best perks of my job here is our yearly buying trip to Italy. Yes! There really is an international trade show for picture framing every spring in Italy. Most of the business is wholesale but Artists Frame Service is privileged to be the only American custom retailer large enough to import directly. Every year for the past 9 years I have taken the 8-hour flight with Jay to go shopping for the most recent frame styles and innovations. It’s a dirty job but somebody has to do it.
We hit the ground running from the start. There is no time to recover from jetlag. There is no time for relaxing in the piazza drinking cappuccinos. There is (almost) no time for shoe shopping. This is serious work and very tiring. On a recent venture to the trade show I was finding it particularly challenging to stay alert.
And then…we walked into the booth of glitter. Mesmerizing. Like nothing else ever seen in the industry. I had to have them. Our new line of frames, which I named “Vegas”, are covered in glittering glitter. At first glance they may seem garish, a bit over-the-top. But I (and I’m not alone) can’t keep my eyes off them.
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There is an interesting story to these frames. The glitter is actually fabric; the same fabric used by Italian couture designers like Prada and Gucci for accents on clothing. Bolts of fabric are sent to the same Italian fashion-patterning company the fashion houses use, where they are cut into appropriate sized pieces. Then, the frame pattern pieces go to another fashion house to be specially applied to the wood. It is all very exclusive. Name: Nellie Seigel |